Adopted: July 1980
Revised: June 2021
1. This procedure applies to special education students who have a behavioral disability or who have behavioral problems related to another disability.
1.1 Misbehavior of preschool-grade 5 students will be responded to by the student’s principal. Misbehavior of students in grades 6-12 will be responded to by the Transportation Department student conduct specialist, in consultation with appropriate school administrators.
1.2 For more information about responding to students with disabilities who misbehave, refer to Regulation 503.3.1AR, Students Receiving Special Education Service: Responses for Behavior.
2. Dealing with student behavior
When dealing with student behavior the driver may warn the student, discuss the behavior with student and/or document the discussion with the student.
3. Behavior plan
If the school has developed a behavior plan, the driver will follow the guidelines in the plan and may discuss the behavior with the student, if part of the plan, and document the discussion.
4. Repetitive or severe behaviors
For some repetitive or severe behaviors the driver may write a referral, discusses the referral with the student and give the referral to the student’s principal (early childhood-grade 5) or to the student conduct specialist (grades 6-12).
4.1 After receiving a referral, the principal or student conduct specialist may contact the student’s individual education plan (IEP) case manager to review the incident and, taking the IEP into consideration, determine the proper intervention.
4.2 The principal or student conduct specialist makes sure that the student’s parent(s) or guardian(s) are informed of the outcome of the discussion by telephone or with a letter.
4.3 If a decision is made to suspend a student’s bus riding privileges and/or to suspend or exclude student from school, the principal or student conduct specialist may contact the student’s IEP case manager to make sure that appropriate due process is followed and will abide by all relevant rules and procedures regarding the discipline of special education students. The principal or student conduct specialist also contacts the special education coordinator if additional support is needed.
5. Determining Consequences of Misbehavior
The principal or student conduct specialist determines, in consultation with the IEP case manager, whether the misbehavior is caused by or is a result of the student's disability.
5.1 If the misbehavior may have been caused by or be a result of the student's disability, the misbehavior will be addressed within the scope of programmatic or managerial strategies, as deemed appropriate by the child study team. This does not, however, prevent the principal or student conduct specialist from taking interim measures which may be necessary for the immediate protection of persons or property.
5.2 If the misbehavior was not caused by or was a result of the student's disability, the principal or student conduct specialist will determine an appropriate course of action.
6. Misbehavior while being bused to a non-District 196 site
When a student misbehaves who is bused to a site other than a District 196 school, the Special Education Department will contact the parent(s) or guardian(s) and will inform the principal or student conduct specialist about the disposition of the matter.
7. In-Transit Behavior Emergency
If there is an emergency related to the behavior of a special education student while in transit on a school bus, the driver will contact the Transportation Department dispatcher. The Transportation Department dispatcher may call 911, the student conduct specialist, the special education coordinator who serves as the liaison to the Transportation Department or the transportation safety/driver trainer.